Telangana: Maoists still a force to reckon with
However, police still see an extremist presence in a few pockets in the state but are confident of preventing any untoward incidents.
Hyderabad: State police aim to bring down urban Naxalism in Telangana with integrated efforts of various wings and ensure that there is no ground for the Maoists. With three incidents of exchange of fire in Telangana and 16 incidents of inter-state gun battles, 19 extremists were killed and 21 persons were neutralised by the armed forces of the state.
However, police still see an extremist presence in a few pockets in the state but are confident of preventing any untoward incidents.
According to data of the Telangana police, there are 126 underground cadre hailing from Telangana and 10 central committee members of the Maoist party from the state. However, only 18 cadre are active and operating in the state, said police.
Addressing the media, DGP Mr Mahendar Reddy said that the Telangana state committee of the Maoist party is operating with 82 underground cadres among whom 18 are from the state and remaining from Chhattisgarh.
Out of the 17 central committee members of the party, 10 are from the state. Responding to a query on the recent arrests of four persons including three women siblings from the city by police of other states for their alleged links with Maoists, DGP Reddy said, “There is routine sharing of intelligence between the states and the central agencies. They were apprehended in a similar manner. Urban Naxals are those who live in society and extend various kinds of support including moral, ideological and infrastructure to the extremists who carry weapons. We believe in bringing down urban Naxalism in Telangana.”
There were three incidents of exchange of fire with extremists of the CPI (Maoist) party and other groups in which 19 extremists died. With the information shared by the SIB (Special Intelligence Bureau) of the state, 16 incidents of exchange of fire took place during interstate anti-Naxalite operation, leading to neutralisation of 21 extremists, said the DGP.
He said that as many as 120 extremists were arrested and 10 surrendered before police in 2018.
Police also seized 47 firearms and also Rs 6.75 lakh cash.